Yuvraj Singh shares his experiences of growing up as a cricketer
Yuvraj Singh at a panel discussion held in Colombo - Pic by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
“Adolescence is the age of change, of transformation” explained United Nations Children’s Fund regional director for South Asia Jean Gough. With the bubbling anticipation surrounding the Under 19 Cricket World Cup set to take the stage in January next year, UNICEF, together with the International Cricket Council held a panel discussion on “the Power of Sports to Shape the Future of Adolescence”.
The panel discussion saw the fresh young faces of under 19 cricket captains of Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan taking the stage to share the impact sports has had on their lives and how it has shaped them and their peers. Joining them was Indian cricketer and humanitarian Yuvraj Singh who shared his experiences of growing up as a young cricketer and the way in which sports shaped his personality as an adult.
Seated together with the five young sporting sensations, Yuvraj took the audience back to his pre-teen and teen years. “Ten to nineteen is vulnerable” explained the legendary cricketer, who once upon a time was a very reluctant sportsman. An unenthusiastic young cricketer at the start, Yuvraj humbly owes his successful career to father’s backing and parents’ sacrifices, that found him travelling to Sri Lanka for the first time for the under 19 Cricket World Cup in 2000, reminiscent of the other young under 19 players seated amongst him on the panel.
The concept behind “the Power of Sports to Shape the Future of Adolescence” arose as a medium of nurturing the adolescents in the South Asian region, who according to UNICEF reports are still among the invisible and the voiceless. Amongst the challenges that young boys and girls face in the region are that of child marriage, with the South Asian region having the highest rate of child marriages in the world and almost 1 of 5 young girls having given birth below the age of 18. This demographic also covers 20.6 million adolescents without access to secondary education, covering 11.7 million boys and 8.9 million girls.
Sharing their thoughts at the panel, the young captains of their respective Under 19 teams shared the common positive influence sport has had on their character and personal growth into adults. The publicity and following they have gained from their fellow adolescents has also proved to be a responsibility toward the promising young sportsmen. For Naveen ul haq Murid, the captain of the Under 19 team of Afghanistan, the power of social media and their popularity gives them the power to spread a positive influence to other teens and encourage them “to dream”. All five team captains weren’t afraid to share their challenges from career threatening injuries to the pressures and general trials of the treacherous road of teenage hood with the other young teens present in the audience. Looking back at his career, sports has not only allowed Yuvraj to follow his passion for his humanitarian work but has armed him with fundamental life skills. “I fail everyday” the sports hero shared in his matter of fact voice to the youngsters. The balance of failure and victory together with the importance of unity, discipline and self-belief is the foundation that keeps the all-rounder’s feet firmly on the ground, lessons he hopes other youngsters can also absorb through the love of sport.